Marched at seven o’clock…and at half past twelve arrived at the Haciend[a] of Don Melcher [Michon]….

Don Melcher was a man of very large fortune, polite, generous and friendly. He had in his service a man who had deserted from captain Lockwood’s company, first regiment of infantry, by the name of Pratt. From this man he had acquired a considerable quantity of crude [u]ndigested information relative to the United States, and when he met with us his thirst after knowledge of our laws and institutions appeared to be insatiable. He caused a fine large sheep to be killed and presented to my men.

As always, Pike is keen to praise anyone who likes to talk politics and admires the United States.

This is not the last American soldier Pike will meet who has gone AWOL and taken refuge in Mexico, so evidently not everyone on the frontier was as taken with American life as Pike was. He will have much to say about this phenomenon tomorrow.